Texas bishop encourages voters to pray, seek justice as they prepare to vote
Caroline MolloyThe bishop of a Texas diocese has urged his flock to vote in the 2026 elections, encouraging them to approach the midterms with prayer and a sincere desire to seek what is right and just.
Brownsville Bishop Daniel Flores wrote in an Oct. 19 letter to the faithful in the Rio Grande Valley that he wants the faithful to be prepared to vote prudently, ideally before Election Day on Nov. 3.
“For Catholics especially, voting is an occasion to reflect seriously on how our faith informs our judgments about how best to promote what is just and good in the community,” he wrote. “Because the Gospel of Christ says a great deal about our love for and responsibilities to our neighbor, our faith cannot be separated from our voting decisions.”
Bishop Flores said that voting according to a well-formed conscience means striving to “promote the good of the whole community.”
“A well-formed conscience does not simply follow personal preferences or political loyalties,” he wrote. “It seeks to recognize what is true and good and pursue its advancement out of loyalty to God first.”
The Church, Bishop Flores wrote, does not demand support for particular candidates.
“Rather, she offers the moral principles that guide our consideration of the issues and candidates before us. In light of the Gospel, when we vote we keep in mind especially those whom God does not forget,” he wrote. “Thus, we recognize the importance of protecting human life from conception to natural death, of respecting the dignity of every human person, of protecting the unity of families, of the just treatment of workers, of caring for the poor, the vulnerable, and the voiceless; and of seeking justice and peace in the world.”
